Cauterized
by horserax88
Summary: Ruby managed to get up Beacons tower just a moment faster then usual. Putting her life on the line, she took the bullet intended for Pyrrha. Alive, but burned and broken, its up to her friends and family to find a way to cauterize the wound before it permanently consumes the cheerful girl that touched everyone's lives in a way that no one else could.
1. Ruby

_**Introduction, Chapter: Ruby**_

"Jaune!" Weiss shouted, sounding like a weight had just been lifted off her chest. "Are you alright?" Team RWBY hadent been able to get in contact with Jaune, Ruby, or Pyrrha sense Weiss sent her running up the tower. Weiss ran over towards him, stopping half way there. Mid step, she turned to look at Blake, who was leaning over an injured Yang with regret in her eyes. Yang kept insisting she was fine, it wasn't like she lost an arm or anything! Still, Blake felt guilty that her teammate got hurt fighting for her. When she saw Weiss leaving however, she temporarily left Yang to be informed by the leader of the sister team.

Weiss was stopped in her tracks for a different reason this time. "Oh god..." Weiss croaked, her voice empty and hollow, errily lacking any emotion other then desperation and sorrow. It was altho, when she spoke, she wasn't actually _there_ to speak. "What happened?" Weiss felt herself slump in shame "Is she okay?" She wished she had asked those questions in _reverse,_ but whats done is done.

"I..." Jaune turned to look at the girl who lay on the ground behind him, unceremoniously dragged there on a tarp. "I'm not sure..." he didn't exactly know how to answer either of those questions. Ruby rose lay defeated on the ripped, white fabric. Well she had managed to save Pyrrha's life, something Jaune was eternally grateful for, it wasn't without eating the bullet intended for his teammate.

Ruby didn't even look like herself. She lay in tatters, most of her outfit either having been removed, or charred and bloodied, clinging to her body in an attempt to lessen the wounds. Her left leg was in shambles to say the least. It was black as coal, and the fact there was more bone then flesh visible was enough to make the entirety of team RWBY's stomachs churn like Jaune on his first flight.

Her hair was singed, patches of it burned off. The bedhead carried with it glowing orange tips, the ends sizzling, her body fighting in an attempt to put out the flames that were equally as determined to burn what was left of her to the ground. Her hand lay idly on her stomach, were a fairly deep, dark wound lay from her lower abdomen to her lower chest, altho a bolt of energy or lightning had been run along her body. Various cuts, bruises, and burn marks littered the few parts of her that wasn't mangled beyond recognition.

Once the shock gad steadily starting to wear off, they went to help however they could. Blake was the first to grab the other end of the tarp, Weiss taking Jaune's place to give him a moment to relax and see his own injured teammate. The two girls carried Ruby back towards one of the bullheads, both of them taking note of the mortified look on Yang's face. The look her sister had was somehow far worse then the sight of there leader on deaths door.

 **One week later...  
**  
Ruby groaned, finally starting to awake from her coma. All things considered, she should have been out much longer, but Ruby was as much of a fighter as her boneheaded sister was. The girl slowly moved her head side to side, trying to literally shake the sleep from her. When her attempts to rock herself off the side of the bed and stand failed miserably, Ruby opted for a more standard approach. Gathering as much might as she could, she put a hand on the mattress, and slowly pushed herself up, so her upper back rested on her pillow and her head on the wall behind her. With a small grown, she forced her eyes awake for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

"What... happened?"

She was shocked at how her own voice sounded, but was too tired to show it, simply sounding a pitifully quiet squeak of surprise. Her voice was rough, and speaking felt like someone was running nails on a chalkboard in her throat. She gulped, feeling herself sink at the pain that sounded threw her at her swallow. Was there coal in her throat or something? Ruby forced her legs off the side of her bed, forcing herself to try and stand, before screaming in pain and falling back into her bed.

Ruby squinted her eyes to try and fight the indescribable feeling of _waves_ and _waves_ that coursed threw her body like an all consuming radiance. Ruby looked down, her face paling to a ghostly white as she saw the white cast that donned her entire leg, a grim realisation settling into her stomach.

She couldent feel her leg...

Ruby flipped the blankets off her in one fell swoop. She would wince as that too hurt her, but was far too busy trying not to pass out at the steadily settling waves to care about what was in comparison a simple minor pain. She looked down at what the blankets had hidden, and if she could get paler she would have. Her entire torso had stiches across it, massive sections of her chest and stomach were dulled of there senses. It was altho sections of her were simply missing, replaced with air that somehow coursed with electricity. She reached to touch it, only to jerk her hand back as the needles stabbed into her body like a bear trap that had gone off unprepared. Why did everything have to hurt so bad?

How was she going to be a huntress like this?

She soon heard a torrent of thumps, and she couldent properly identify what it was until the door burst open. The handle slammed against the wall so hard that it left a fist sized hole in its wake. Only one person could open a door with such gusto. "Ruby!" Yang cried, having heard her little sister scream. "Are you okay!?" She darted to her sisters side in a speed that rivalled Ruby's semblance. Ruby didn't react when Yang put her arm around her shoulder, sitting down beside her with enough force to cause the bed to shake. It stung, everything stung, but Ruby's leg had stolen her full attention.

"I don't... think so...?" She couldent find the right words, trying to identify what she was feeling proved impossible. Yang grew a solem look at her sisters lifeless reaction. Seeing the usually overly chipper girl act so cold was so uncharacteristic it almost threw her into a frenzy. "It'll be okay Ruby, I promise" She tried to help, rubbing her back in comfort. However, when Ruby shook her head, she realised that wasn't working. She had disappointingly done the opposite of what she had hoped.

"I'm not okay Yang, it wont be okay. Look at my leg!" She threw her arms in its direction for emphasis. "My semblance, my weapon, my-" Ruby took a deep breath to try to keep the growing tears down, to stop them from escaping there prison. "How am I supposed to be a huntress like this?" She asked, looking up into her sister eyes, desperate for answers. But Yang had none, and couldent meet her gaze for more then a second. "I don't know..." it was her time to croak. Yang steadily got out of bed with such carefulness that you would have sworn she was walking on glass. She slowly headed to the door, her own footsteps oddly sounding incredibly intrusive in the unnatural stillness of the room.

"Lunch is almost ready, i'll bring something up for you later, alright Rubes?" She both told her and asked, pausing with her hand on the doorknob, standing in the doorway as if she was frozen mid motion. Yang felt her entire body stiffen, then fall in defeat as Ruby didn't even so much as acknowledge her, the girls gaze fixated on her bound and casted leg. Yang made a mental note to ask her dad to properly settle Ruby back into bed before she did something stupid. After, of course, she informed everyone that Ruby was finally, _finally_ awake.


	2. Blake

**_RWBY Arch: Chapter Blake_**

 **Same day, day 1**

"Do you think this will be enough?" Blake asked, looking at the massive stack of sweets that lay on the counter of the nearest mall. 'My wallet is going to hate me for this' she thinks to herself, loathing any future downsides her kindness will bring. "A little more should do, maybe she'd appreciate some variety" Yang said, one hand on her hip, and the other reaching for yet another package of cookies. "You think we should home bake some? She always preferred fresh cookies..." Blake nodded, leaving the clerk to bag what must have been an entirety baker worth of cookies "Your probably right." she mused.

 **Tomorrow, day 2**

Blake wasn't sure if it was a good idea to try and do this before breakfast, but thankfully, her father seemed all for the idea. She supposed he wanted Ruby to feel better more then he wanted her to have a healthy diet, which she considered both fair and understandable. Blake crept towards the door although she was sneaking threw a military base, and slowly opened the door just enough to look inside.

Ruby was laying in her bed, but thankfully, she seemed to be awake. She laid on her side, looking out her window with a distinct longing in her eyes. "Ruby?" Blake spoke up, hr voice quiet and hesitant, but her confidence quickly grew once she started. "Ruby? Can I come in?" Ruby's head turned slightly towards Blake, enough to acknowledge her, but she didn't say anything.

Blake was deeply concerned about the lack of response. Still, she took the silence as a yes and pushed the door away with her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" She asked, her voice still quieter then she would have liked. Without her bow to hide her ears, it was quite clear she was distressed due to the way they were pointed downwards at off angles. "I... could be better" Ruby spoke, her voice hoarse like she hasn't talked in months.

Any response was better then no response. "I know, I- I thought these might help" Blake approached her and held out what was in her arms. Finally, Ruby turned her head towards her, and was surprised to see a tray full of cookies. She hadn't smelled them earlier, like she normally would have. The smell of burnt flesh still filled her senses, whether she liked it or not. Now, the horrible odor was being pushed back just a bit and replaced by the smelt hat would likely have been all consuming under normal circumstances.

The tray had several types of cookies. Some were filled with various fruits, such as blueberry, apple, and most notably strawberry. Some oozed with what was likely artificially flavored goop, well some had pure chunks of the fruit mixed in. Well the store bought fruit was cooked, the bundle of made cookies were not. These cookies smelled far more powerful, and reminded Ruby of home even more so then her actual home did. Half of them were loaded to the brim with chocolate chip cookies, and half of them had fresh cut strawberries added in last minute, without the cooking process.

Ruby rolled onto her back to give Blake her full attention, prompting Blake to settle the tray on her lap. Ruby reached down to pick up one of the home baked goods. She lifted it to her mouth, taking in the powerful smell. She hesitated for a moment, and with a sigh, she unceremoniously dropped the cookie back to the tray. Blake's heart practically crumbled when she saw Ruby reject the cookie she had personally baked. She wasn't a great cook, but she put her heart and soul into making Ruby feel better.

"i'm sorry" Ruby apologised, her head hanging down in shame. "I- don't really feel hungry right now." This was practically unheard of! Blakes eyes fell to the ground as well. Suddenly her feet seemed utterly fascinating. "I- I understand" She croaked out the words, trying her best to be strong for her leader. "Would you... rather be alone?" Blake asked, lifting her head just enough to look at her.

Ruby simply nodded in response, and despite how much it hurt Blake, she obeyed. She turned around and headed towards the door, before stopping in the doorway in a similar pose that Yang did the day before. Her hand on the doorframe, half facing Ruby half facing away, looking over her shoulder. "If there are any left tonight, we'll put them in the fridge for you." If Ruby had looked up, she'd have seen the catgirls ears were lowered even further then they were before. "Okay?" Blake seeked confirmation, and her request was filled with another silent nod.

Blake quickly rushed down stairs, walking into the living room slowly, with a pose that of shame. Weiss, Yang, Qrow, and Taiyang were waiting for her to return, and all of them had turned there heads to her expectantly. "It didn't work" Blake choked out again, turning towards the kitchen to free herself form there eyes and get some water to hopefully combat the lump growing in her throat. "She didn't even eat a single one."

"What!?" Yang roared, like a lion seeking a fight. "How is that possible? Ruby loooves cookies! Especially _my_ cookies!" Blake returned shortly after with her drink, despite the fact she had already chugged almost the entire thing. "I know, we heard your speech last time." Blake's eyes returned to her feet, shuffling them to keep herself busy. "Perhaps this is just worse then we thought..."

Weiss stood up off the couch, thankfully drawing attention away from Blake. "Maybe so, but that's just reason to work harder." She snapped her fingers to get everyone's attention, reaching into her sleeve with her spare hand to receive a literal scroll. "Besides, I have a plan." She turned towards the bedridden leaders uncle. "Qrow" She snapped. He raised an eyebrow, and once she confirmed she had his attention, she grabbed the bottom of the scroll with her other hand and unrolled it in front of him.

Her back was curved, nose up in the air in pride. Qrow leaned forward, a hand on his chin as he inspected the thick paper "Huh..." The rest of the crew began to gather around him "Heh, this might actually work" He chuckled, a smirk growing on his face. Weiss donned her own smirk, one at least three times bigger then his. "Of course it will. Have my plans ever failed?" Tai instantly had his fingers around Yang's ear "Don't answer that" he barked.


End file.
